A Piece of the Action
' |image= |series= |production=60349 |producer(s)= |story=David P. Harmon |script=David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon |director=James Komack |imdbref=tt0708412 |guests=Anthony Caruso as Bela Oxmyx, Victor Tayback as Jojo Krako, Lee Delano as Kalo, Sheldon Collins as Tough Kid, Steve Marlo as Zabo, John Harmon as Tepo, Buddy Garion as Hood, Jay Jones as Mirt, Dyanne Thorne as First Girl, Frank da Vinci as Lt. Brent, Sharyn Hillyer as Second Girl, Eddie Paskey as Lt. Leslie, William Blackburn as Lt. Hadley and Roger Holloway as Lt. Lemli |previous_production=The Immunity Syndrome |next_production=By Any Other Name |episode=TOS S02E17 |airdate=12 January 1968 |previous_release=The Gamesters of Triskelion |next_release=The Immunity Syndrome |story_date(s)=Unknown (2268) |previous_story=The Gamesters of Triskelion |next_story=The Immunity Syndrome }} Summary The Enterprise has been ordered to Sigma Iotia II, where the space vessel Horizon had been reported missing 100 years earlier. The ship receives contact from Bela Oxmyx, an Iotian, who promises information about the Horizon and invites the crew to come to the planet. First Officer Spock notes that their interference in the planet's development could endanger the Prime Directive, but Captain James T. Kirk contends that the Horizon‍'s arrival a century ago, predating the Directive, would have already contaminated the culture. Kirk, Spock, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy transport to the planet. They find themselves in a city fashioned after the 1920's period of the United States, and most of the residents appear to be gangsters carrying Tommy guns. The landing party is escorted by Oxmyx's men to his offices, during which they observe a drive-by shooting that kills one of their escorts, but the other continues on as if nothing had happened. They arrive at Oxmyx's office, where Oxmyx orders his men to make a retaliatory attack against their rival gang led by Jojo Krako. Spock discovers an Earth book Chicago Mobs of the Twenties, and determines it was left by the crew of the Horizon. Oxmyx explains they have modeled Iotian society off "The Book", which Kirk compares to the "cargo cults" of Earth's 20th Century. Oxmyx demands the Enterprise crew supply his gang with phasers, and when Kirk refuses, threatens to kill them if Kirk cannot deliver these. The landing party is held in captivity while Oxmyx uses a communicator to reiterate the deal to Chief Engineer Scott. Kirk is able to trick their guards by horning in on their poker game and teaching them how to play a fictitious game "Fizzbin", allowing him to distract the guards long enough for Spock to overpower them. Spock and McCoy flee to a radio tower to contact the Enterprise and transport back to the ship, while Kirk is captured by Krako's men. Krako demands phasers of Kirk as well, though offers him a "third of the action" in exchange. Kirk attempts to offer a peaceful solution, but Krako refuses and confines him, threatening to kill him later if he does not relent on the deal. Oxmyx contacts the ship and informs them of Kirk's capture, and offers to help rescue Kirk if they would come help. Spock and McCoy return to the planet, but are quickly captured by Oxmyx. However, Kirk has managed to engineer his own escape, and arrives in Oxmyx's office in time to rescue Spock and McCoy. The three set a plan in motion; dressing in period garb, they return to Krako's office and gain entrance. Quickly subduing Krako's men, Kirk informs Krako that the Federation is taking over the entire planet, but if Krako helps to maintain order and be a willing puppet of the Federation, they will give him a "piece of the action". Krako agrees, but for safekeeping, Kirk transports him to the Enterprise. The three then repeat the same offer to Oxmyx and Oxmyx quickly accepts. As they prepare for the meeting of the mob bosses, Krako is transported back to the planet; the boss sees the opportunity to displace Kirk as the "top man" and has his men attack Oxmyx's headquarters, but the Enterprise uses a low-power phaser to stun the men as they approach. Both Oxmyx and Krako realize that they are at Kirk's mercy, and agree to work for the Federation. Kirk installs Oxmyx as the "top boss" with Krako as his lieutenant, and states that a Federation will come by once a year for their "piece of the action". The three return to the ship and prepare to leave orbit. Kirk states that while the Federation will take the cut, they will use the funds to help reorganize the Iotians into a more civil society. McCoy reveals that he left his communicator on the planet. Kirk notes that the Iotians are skilled in analyzing and recreating technology, and it may be sooner than later than they will want their piece of the action from the Federation. Errors and Explanations Plot Oversights # At one point, another boss, named Krako, “puts the bag” on Kirk. His boys are not very smart. They imprison Kirk in a room with a letter opener and a heavy type-writer, either of which would make a handy weapon. The letter opener is probably too blunt, and the typewriter would be too heavy and bulky. # Just before Spock and McCoy beam down for the second time, one of 0xmyx's men says, “They can't do nothing until they're through sparkling.” How does he know this? He wasn't around when Spock and McCoy beamed down the first time. He was most likely watching the beam down point from close-by. # Continuing with the second beam-down, it is amazing that an officer of Spock's intellect would not beam two security guards to a nearby location just in case Oxmyx tried to take them hostage again. Spock is operating from a position of trust, which would be violated by bringing down security guards. Besides, he cannot run the risk of them being captured by Oxmyx's goons. # Arriving at Krako’s headquarters, Kirk ponders how to get past the guard. He says they can't use their phasers—presumably because it would violate the Prime Directive. ls Kirk really worried about the Prime Directive? He is in the process of strong-arming an entire world and forcing them to pay protection money to the Federation, and he's worried about someone seeing a phaser in action? Kirk knows that it would trigger a gun battle in the street, thus endangering his plan to help the population conform to Federation ethics. # After hearing that the Federation is taking over, Krako says that he thought they had laws against interfering. Where would he get this idea? The Horizon visited the planet before such laws went into effect, and Kirk has not said anything about non interference to the gangsters. Krako probably worked out the existence of the Federation's laws of non-interference from Kirk's refusal to supply phasers. Equipment Oddities # Oxmyx using the blue ball as the cue ball in his game of pool. He's used to making his own rules! # Just after Oxmyx captures Spock and McCoy the second time, the first officer manages to make a log entry without any recording equipment and without moving his lips. He probably did this later, after returning to the Enterprise. # After rescuing Spock and McCoy from Oxmyx, Kirk decides to "bag" Krako as well. He and Spock jump in a car, and Kirk comments that the key is in the ignition. Does this seem right? ln a lawless society, the keys are in the ignition? Kirk probably took the key from the goon who owned the car, and placed it in the ignition without it being obvious. # After grabbing Krako, Kirk and Spock head back to Oxmyx‘s office. They trudge back out into the street and hop into a car—a mode of transportation that Kirk describes as “faster than walking." That may be . . . but is it faster than beaming? No, but Kirk doesn't want to leave a car belonging to one of Oxmyx's goons outside Krako's headquarters. # Soon afterward, the scene changes to Oxmyx‘s office. McCoy holds a machine gun on the group assembled there. Wouldn't it be better to cover them with a phaser? If someone tried to jump him, would the doctor really “fill them full of holes"? The machine gun is a more visible deterrent. Continuity and Production Problems # Just after Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to the planet's surface, a woman in a peach-colored dress and red hat walks through the scene. The trio looks around for a few minutes, wanders down the street, and soon are stopped by Oxmyx's men. At this point, the woman in the red hat magically reappears in the scene. It could be a similar woman in an identical outfit. # When asking one of the bosses if he has any objections at the joint meeting, Kirk points the gun directly at the man. Then a close-up shows Kirk’s face, and the gun cocked up at a 45 degree angle. Then the shot changes again and the gun is pointing at the man once again. Kirk was probably adjusting the angle of the gun during the conversation. # Both The Star Trek Compendium and The Star Trek Encyclopedia list the head gangster's last name as “Oxmyx.” However, a poster in Krako's office spells the gangster’s name “Okmyx." As the poster is in the office of Oxmyx's main rival, the different spelling could be deliberate. Internet Movie Database Plot holes # When Kirk escapes from Krako, he strings a wire across a doorway to trip up two thugs. Once he incapacitates them, he runs out the same doorway without jumping over where the wire should be. One of the thugs could have pulled the wire loose when they tripped over it. Revealing mistakes # One can only assume it was for budgetary reasons that the two thugs who are killed in the opening segment are wearing the exact same suits worn later by two other thugs who are made to give their clothes to Kirk and Spock.The later gangsters probably took them for themselves, as the original owners wouldn't need them anymore. Nit Central # Bela Okmyx on Sunday, October 03, 1999 - 1:21 pm: When Kirk and Spock steal the car, Spock identifies it as a "flivver". How would Spock know a bit of Earth slang that is long since out of date in the 1990s, much less the 23rd Century? He must have seen the appropriate reference either during his quick look at the book earlier, or when he was searching for a solution in the Enterprise computer banks. # John A. Lang on Tuesday, June 19, 2001 - 6:02 pm: When Kirk has one of the bosses beamed into the office, the guy is supposed to be on the phone. Yet when he materializes, he's not holding a phone. Why didn't the transporter beam in the phone too? The targeting system was programmed to ignore the molocules in the phone. Notes Sources Category:The Original Series Category:Episodes